ESPN sees a future in lacrosse — and just upped its investment.
On Thursday, World Lacrosse — the sport’s governing body, which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee — announced a partnership with the network to broadcast 246 of its World Championship games through 2023.
Six women’s games — beginning June 29 with USA vs. Canada — will go out over linear channels ESPN2 and ESPNU. The rest of the 106 Women’s Championship games will air on ESPN+.
The network will also carry the Men’s U21 Championship semifinals and finals on ESPNU, with 20 additional matches appearing on ESPN+.
Plans for the 2023 Men’s Championship will be announced at a later date.
ESPN has invested heavily in lacrosse in recent months, inking multiyear deals with the major professional leagues since October.
“The men’s and women’s world championships, together with our overall college coverage and recent agreements with Athletes Unlimited, NLL, and PLL, demonstrates our firm commitment to the sport,” said Dan Margulis, ESPN’s senior director of programming and acquisitions.
